DTSKCK is grateful too for progress made in 2016 toward a cleaner, safer, more robust Downtown. We work alongside partners such as Local Initiative Support Corporation, KC, MO, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, the Board of Public Utilities, area businesses and organizations, surrounding neighborhoods, and others. It is the strength of these relationships and the commitment to succeed that allow progress. None of us work in a vacuum or alone; we build on each other’s successes. Only by acknowledging the work of, and the need for, each other can we be the inclusive, embracing, and successful community that is desired.

The holidays remind us to hope and dream, to “fear not.” That is the message we need to embody. That is what we witnessed in our community last Friday. That spirit will allow us to continue to succeed and celebrate in 2017. Let us celebrate each other and the work. Let us celebrate this season and the hopes of a new year. Together, let us celebrate and fear not.